Welcoming in the New Year can trigger a desire to kick start a diet overhaul and introduce or increase exercise but, as illustrated by the huge profits made by the fitness and diet industry, a lot of the advice and programmes available are unsustainable and can lead to a cycle of ‘yo-yo’ weight loss and regain, which can exasperate your insecurities and also end up costing you a lot of money.

Here at the Clean & Tidy Home Show, we know that losing weight isn’t the only route to being your healthiest self, and there are many other ways to pursue health. Exercise and sleep, self-love and gratitude for what we have, as well as a clean and organised home, can all play a major role in promoting an overall feeling of health and wellbeing.

It is usually accepted that the best diet and exercise routines are always the ones that fit in with your lifestyle. With that in mind, did you know that your cleaning and tidying routines are a great opportunity to increase the number of calories you use? Also, when you factor in the real-time wellness buzz you get from having created a fresher and more organised home, creating a routine out of your daily and weekly housework make so much sense!  

So, while we do not endorse fad diet trends or unsustainable weight loss methods, we’re encouraging our community to step up their cleaning and tidying routines and turn them into a Clean and Burn Workout.

Top tips to maximise your results:

·      Turn up your music

·      Add weights and twists where you can

·      Add lunges when vacuuming or mopping

·      Set a timer for your activities

·      Enjoy the multiple wellbeing benefits of exercise and a clean and tidy home!

‍THE CLEAN AND BURN WORKOUT

Daily Sweep

Sweeping the floors of your home for 15 mins a day can burn around 70 calories per day, or 490 calories per week

Bopping while Mopping

Dedicating 1 hour per week to mopping your floors can help you burn 300 calories per week

Scrub a’ Dub

Scrubbing your fridge, oven, worktops and bathroom for 3 hours per week can burn off around 1080 calories!

Vacuuming

Vacuuming your floors for an average of 30 mins per day will help you burn 910 calories per week

Cleaning Windows

‘Wax on, wax off’ for one hour per week to burn an average of 170 calories

Up and Down

The simple act of walking up and down the stairs while cleaning can burn an extra 560 calories per hour

Tidying and Decluttering

Adding concentrated effort to your tidying and decluttering for four hours over the week can help you burn around 480 calories and give you the extra wellness benefit of a tidy andorganised home. Win win!

‍Weight loss in numbers:

There are many factors to consider when looking to lose weight, including height, current weight, sex, diet choices, genetics etc, but we all need to burn more calories than we take in each day to lose weight. Without getting too scientific, we encourage you to consider the generic rule that to lose 1 pound (lb) of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories*

(*all calorie figures are based on averages. The actual numbers will depend on your current weight, height and fitness levels)

CLEAN AND BURN ACTIVITY                                       CALORIES BURNED PER WEEK

Daily sweeping the floors (15 mins per day)                                                       490

Mopping the Floors (1 hour per week)                                                                 300

Decluttering/tidying the house (4 hours per week)                                          480

Scrubbing the fridge/oven, worktops and bathroom (3 hours per week)    540

Vacuuming (average 30 mins per day)                                                                910

Cleaning Windows (1 hour per week)                                                                   170

Up and down the stairs (1 hour per week)                                                          560              

TOTAL                                                          3450 calories burned or 1lb of weight loss‍

(The small print: All exercise should be approached with caution. Please consider your own fitness and flexibility. The C&THS takes no responsibility for any injuries caused during this workout)